Multi-tenant Procurement System Custom Attributes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current e-commerce systems lack the ability to easily customize functionality for procurement processes, requiring complex and costly hardcoding, and do not allow for the creation of custom item attributes, making it difficult to manage complex business terms and relationships between organizations and vendors.
Innovation Solution
A multi-tenant electronic procurement system with a single instance architecture that enables customizable item attributes, supplier management, and contract management, allowing users to define and assign custom attributes to items, catalogs, and suppliers, providing a simple and efficient procurement process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If current e-commerce systems are used for procurement, then basic product browsing and transaction capabilities are provided, but customization of procurement functionality is complex and costly requiring hardcoding by developers
Solution Approach 1:
The system transitions from static hard-coded functionality to dynamic configurable attributes. Users can modify item attributes, business terms, and procurement rules without requiring system reconfiguration or developer intervention, making the system adaptable to changing business requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces configurable parameters and attributes that can be modified by users through the interface. Instead of changing system code, users adjust parameters such as item attributes, business terms, and procurement rules, enabling customization through parameter modification rather than structural changes.
2Adaptability or versatility
If custom item attributes are not allowed, then system structure remains simple, but management of complex business terms and vendor relationships becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments business information into distinct configurable attributes and sub-attributes. Each item can have multiple independent attributes (e.g., price, delivery terms, warranty) that can be configured separately, allowing complex business terms to be managed through modular attribute definitions rather than monolithic data structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The attribute system serves multiple functions: it stores item information, defines business terms, manages vendor relationships, and enables procurement rules. A single configurable attribute framework handles diverse business requirements without requiring separate specialized structures for each function.
3Reliability
If hardcoding is used for customization, then specific business requirements are met, but implementation time increases and productivity is lost
Solution Approach 1:
Users can configure and customize procurement functionality themselves through the system interface without requiring developer intervention. The system provides self-service capabilities for defining attributes, setting business rules, and managing vendor relationships, eliminating the time loss associated with developer hardcoding while maintaining rule accuracy.
Solution Approach 2:
The system provides pre-configurable attribute templates and standard business term definitions that can be deployed immediately. Rather than requiring custom development from scratch, users can start with pre-established frameworks and modify them as needed, significantly reducing implementation time while ensuring business rule accuracy through proven templates.
Data Source
AI summary
A single instance, multi-tenant procurement system, includes an access module to provide access to a plurality of end users associated with an organization to their respective accounts, each account being customized by a super user of the organization, a search engine to execute searches for products offered by one or more suppliers, a transaction module to process and track one or more requisitions generated by the plurality of end users, a business rules module to apply business rules established between the organization and the one or more suppliers to process the requisitions, and a data repository to store data generated on the system.